Abstract :Under pathological conditions, dental pulp elaborates both bone and dentin matrix in which the contribution of periodontal tissue cannot be excluded. This study has aimed to clarify the capability of dental pulp to deposit bone matrix in an auto-graft experiment by using (1) immunohistochemistry for 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) and nestin and (2) histochemistry for tartrateresistant

acid phosphatase (TRAP). Following the extraction of the molars of 3-week-old mice, the roots and pulp floor were resected and immediately transplanted into the sublingual region. On Days 5–7, tubular dentin formation commenced next to the pre-existing dentin at the pulp horn in which nestin-positive odontoblast-like cells were arranged. Up until Day 14, bone-like tissue formation occurred in the pulp chamber in which intense TRAPpositive cells appeared. These results suggest that odontoblast-

and osteoblast-lineage cells reside in the dental pulp. Overall, specific dental pulp regeneration should provide fundamental knowledge for the realization of human tooth regeneration in the near future

在病理条件下，牙髓可以形成骨组织和牙本质基质，这有助于牙周组织的形成。我们的目标是阐明牙髓通过自体移植形成骨基质的能力通过检测（1）免疫组织化学（Brdu及nestin）（2）组织化学（TRAP），将拔出的三周龄小鼠的第三磨牙，切除牙根和髓室底，然后立即移植到舌下区。5-7天后在髓角处先形成的牙本质处有牙本质小管形成，这部分髓角有nestin阳性的成牙本质细胞规则排列。14天在髓腔处有骨样组织形成，这部分含有TRAP阳性的细胞。这些结果表明在牙髓中含有成牙本质细胞及成骨细胞。总之，这种特殊的牙髓再生提供对未来的牙齿再生的基本认识。